New research reveals that Earth’s days were once significantly longer due to the moon’s gradual drift away from our planet. This change in day length, driven by the moon’s gravitational pull, may have played a crucial role in oxygenating the atmosphere and fueling the dramatic diversification of life during the Cambrian explosion.
Results for: Cambrian Explosion
A new study suggests that deep-sea corals that lived 540 million years ago may have been the first animals to glow, far earlier than previously thought. This discovery pushes the origin of bioluminescence back by around 270 million years and places it around the time of the Cambrian explosion, when life on Earth evolved and diversified rapidly.
New research suggests that deep-sea corals may have been the first animals to glow in the dark, approximately 540 million years ago. This discovery, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, challenges previous assumptions that light production in animals evolved much later. The study’s findings indicate that bioluminescence, the ability to produce light through chemical reactions, may have played a significant role in the evolution of animal communication and predator-prey interactions.
Newly discovered evidence suggests that deep-sea corals were the pioneers of bioluminescence, possessing the ability to glow in the dark as early as 540 million years ago. This study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, significantly advances our understanding of the origins of animal communication and the diversity of life in the deep sea. Marine creatures use bioluminescence for various purposes, including predator deterrence, prey attraction, and mate signaling. The study’s findings indicate that bioluminescence evolved around the time of the Cambrian explosion, a pivotal period in Earth’s history that witnessed the rapid diversification of life.